Allred Secures $16.2 Million in Funding for North Texas Priorities in Appropriations Bill; Includes Funding to aid Ukraine

Press Release

Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) announced that as part of the omnibus funding bill that passed the House yesterday with strong bipartisan support, nine Community Project Funding submissions for the 32nd District of Texas were included. This funding includes projects with bipartisan support like the Brute Force Electric Central Utility Plant at DFW Airport, which Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24) also supported. These projects were recommended by Allred in coordination with a bipartisan committee of North Texas leaders he assembled last year.

The bill also includes $13.6 billion in emergency funding for security and humanitarian needs for Ukraine and it reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act.

"These community projects have bipartisan support and will help create jobs by investing in critical areas like transportation, health care, education, affordable housing and much more," said Allred. "I am so proud of the committee we put together to recommend these projects and that our community-driven process has delivered for North Texans. In addition to our local investments, this bill will provide critical funds to aid Ukraine and it takes the long-overdue step of finally reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act."

32nd District Community Project Funding Approved by the House:

Children's Health System of Texas (CHST) Pediatric Mental Health Innovation Center: CHST was allocated $850,000 for the creation of a Pediatric Mental Health Center to help serve an estimated 600,000 North Texas children who face mental health issues.

Children's Health System of Texas (CHST) Pediatric Mental Health Staff: CHSTwas allocated $900,000 to hire a pediatric psychiatrist and up to eight licensed social workers to expand mental health services for patients in the emergency room and improve patient services.

Southern Methodist University Human Trafficking Project: The SMU Human Trafficking Project was allocated $1,187,000 to directly address the deficiencies in data collection and analysis and in collaboration of the expertise needed to effectively fight human trafficking in Texas.

Southern Methodist University Learning Loss Program for Underserved Students: Southern Methodist University was allocated $900,000 to create a program to help students who experienced learning loss in Dallas ISD schools through augmented reality and virtual reality and game-based learning.

Resource Center Senior Housing: To meet the growing demand for care and services for the aging LGBTQ population in the Dallas community, the Resource Center was allocated $1,000,000 for the construction of an LGBTQ-friendly affordable senior housing facility.

UT Southwestern Center for Implementation Science, School of Public Health: UTSW was allocated $1,000,000 to support the creation a research-intensive school dedicated to leading future advances in scientific methods to address population health challenges that can be leveraged into accessible evidence-based input for policymakers as they navigate chronic and emerging public health crises.

University of Texas at Dallas COVID-19 Student Impact Project: The University of Texas at Dallas was allocated $400,000 to support a study that will identify which college students in Texas have been most affected by COVID-19, where educational inequities have been exacerbated, and which institutional efforts show promise in retaining, supporting, and re-enrolling college students.

DFW Airport Flyover Bridge Replacement and Conversion Project: The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was allocated $5 million, the maximum amount, to help replace four seriously deficient and vulnerable left-hand flyover ramps with new right-hand exit bridges in Terminals A, B, C and E.

DFW Airport Brute Force Electric Central Utility Plant: To address current and future heating and cooling demand, improve resiliency, maximize efficiency, and position itself to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030, DFW Airport was allocated $5 million, the maximum amount, to help construct a new Brute Force Electric Central Utility Plant and replace its aging steam piping distribution system with a highly efficient hot water piping system.

To read more about the projects see Allred's website here.

Last year the U.S. House announced new guidelines for Community Project Funding, which allow Members of Congress to support federal investment in community-based projects in the appropriations process. Allred led the creation of a committee of North Texans to provide recommendations for these projects. The committee includes leaders representing local government, small businesses, local chambers of commerce and non-profits.

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